Note: Thank you those who gave comments and CRITS, wow. Fantastics reading those. Oh, and HAPPPY HALLOWEEN!
I went to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and wow, dude it was the coolest one yet for Halloween in Japan. If you want to see how big it was, check out some of the vids on it.
Three
The air grew colder and darkness pressed closer with every step. Ivan descended into a beautiful nightmare, the type he wished would never end.
A giggle of delight escaped, and Yao glanced over his shoulder at Ivan who blushed. Ivan was not supposed to be happy down here. This was a place of despair, but Ivan could not help it. He loved what others found only horror in.
When Yao looked away, Ivan's gazed fixated on Yao's milky-white nape. It was exposed. Ivan's mind teemed with fantasies of leaving bite marks all over that pale flesh and claiming it for his own.
He shook his head, tearing his eyes off Yao.
Yao's shadow trailed across the walls and narrow staircase as Ivan followed behind, crouched down so his head would not bump against the ceiling. Ivan carried his lantern above the steps, avoiding the cracks.
A cool draft brought a hint of Yao's jasmine scent. Ivan shuddered with desire.
When Yao asked him something, Ivan's mind heard, "Will you be my first?"
"D-Da," Ivan blurted out lost in a haze of lust.
Yao stopped suddenly, and Ivan just managed to avoid colliding into the smaller man. Looking at Ivan sharply, Yao turned his body sideways, planting one foot on a higher step as he regarded with a skeptical expression.
"Is that Russian?"
"D-da… I mean y-yes," Ivan said unable to face Yao. Fearful Yao might sense Ivan's wicked thoughts. He warmed all over, shifting from one foot to the other.
Yao lifted his lantern higher, eyeing Ivan up and down. "You look worried. Is it because this is your first time?"
Ivan froze, going red all over. His ears felt hot from his blush. What was Yao suggesting?
"I-I'm not ready," Ivan managed, voice unsteady.
"No one's ever really ready. You just have to relax and get through it. This is Master Ludwig's orders after all. You have nothing to fear, I'm an excellent teacher."
Ivan's heart thudded; throat constricting to a pinhole. He tried not to stare at Yao's pouty lips. He felt his legs would buckle at any moment, and gripped the wall to remain standing.
"You don't look well," Yao said with concern.
"I'm fine." Ivan felt about to throw up. He had dreamed of this, but now he could only feel anxiety. He had never done it before. Would Yao hate it? Hate him after?
"It's just nerves," Yao said sympathetically. "My first time in the Dungeons was difficult. I think I threw up. But I got used to them eventually."
Ivan nodded, then stopped as his mind understood what Yao had said. "Dungeons?"
"Yes. Your first time in the Dungeons. What else would we be talking about?"
"N-nothing," Ivan stammered, focusing on the ends of his boots and tail of his scarf. He had nearly made a fool of himself. He wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He felt disgusting for thinking such perverse things about his sweet and pure Yao.
After a few moments, they continued their descent.
A fragrant stench of rot lingered in the air, one that reminded Ivan of his favorite refuge as a child: the crypts of the Braginski Manor. This place had the same malicious atmosphere that always made Ivan feel so welcomed. The only unpleasant part was the quiet. Their footsteps echoed around, hinting at the vastness of the chamber they had entered since leaving the Spiral Staircase via an archway.
Silenced reminded Ivan of his loneliness. If only he could find an noisy companion to share the endless night with. Wouldn't that be heaven?
He glanced at Yao who stayed a few feet ahead in the pool of light his lantern created. No walls or ceilings could be seen, only the bare stone and uneven flagstones of their path. A couple mushrooms had forced their way through the gaps and around the sides of the stones.
Another walkways crossed theirs and Yao paused that intersection and pointed left. Looking over his shoulder at Ivan, he said, "Always go left here. The South Study is this way."
"And what if I choose another way?"
Yao threw him a puzzled look. "Why would you? Over there is where you'll work. This is not a playground."
Yao's light scolding hurt, but Ivan plastered on his small smile to hide it. The silence was thick between them, broken only by their footsteps and the distant drip-drop of water from some unseen place. There was a small of moisture in the air, just beneath the foul stench of this place. And there was a feeling of being watched by unseen eyes.
The eeriness of the Dungeons was downright endearing.
A hint of a wall appeared ahead, one that became clearer with every step. Yao reached into his pocket, keys jangling as he pulled out a keyring and fumbled for a small, silver one. Ivan quickly saw why when he noticed there was a door in that massive wall.
When they reached the door, Yao inserted the key into a rusty locked and wiggled it. Soon he jiggled against it, pushing his side against the door.
"It gets stuck," he muttered.
Ivan watched, feeling warm under his scarf as Yao struggled and ground against the door. Then there was a click and a triumphant-faced Yao pulled back the door, hinges screaming in protest.
The odor of chemicals and dust wafted out. Ivan covered his nose, turning away as his eyes watered. Yao coughed into the crook of his arm and rushed inside.
Ivan ducked under the door and followed, waving a hand in front of his face.
After a few curses in Chinese, Yao gave a "Ah-hah!" and then there was the sound of machinery whirring to life followed by a burning smell. The glass light above the sizzled, popped, and finally turned on in a soft glow that lit the cluttered room.
"Is that… electricity?" Ivan muttered, spell bound by the sight. He had read about it once, in the ancient texts.
Yao nodded, clearing a space on one of the four work tables in the middle of the room so he could set his lantern down. Just moving the books and scrolls kicked up motes of dust that caused Yao to sneeze and cough.
"The switch is over there." Yao gestured behind him at a square panel by the door opposite the one they had come in.
"Incredible." Ivan stared around.
Shelves covered the walls from ceiling to floor, books, globes, potions, jars of ether with specimens and organs, boxes, and a wide assortment of tools crowded very space. Dust coated everything.
"This…" he noticed a dead mouse skeleton at his feet, "is perfect!"
"It is?"
He jumped in surprised when one of the glass lamps overhead sizzled and sparked before settling down. "Th-that… sometimes happens. They're pretty old."
"What powers them?"
"We're not sure. It just works," Yao said. "This place was built before the Great Wars ravaged the world."
"It must be magic," Ivan said. "I heard electricity came from magic."
"There are stools under the tables," Yao said, looking less impressed. "You'll spend your days down here. Probably start by dusting and cleaning up. Then you can work on the book."
"The book?"
Yao coughed lightly into his fist as he patted a large open one in front of him. "This is the book of sorting. It contains what needs to be looked through and sorted. You'll write notes in it as you do."
"It looks like it's been a while."
"The North Study is the busy part. Master Ludwig hasn't been angry enoug — I mean, he hasn't felt the need to anyone to this section in a while."
"How come?" Ivan asked, sliding his foot from side to side and revealing a message in faded, smeared red in that read: GET OUT!
"The last person was quite a prankster, so I heard," Yao said, turning around to search for something on the shelf. "And not organized at all. Where is it?"
"What are you looking for?"
"A box, about this size," Yao held his hands a foot apart briefly. "It's covered in what look like gems. Probably a lot of dust as well."
"I can help."
Ivan paused when he faced the door they had entered, noticing the scratch marks that ran down its middle. He traced a finger down one of them until he found a fingernail embedded in the pine.
"I think you'll do fine down here," Yao said. "Some people can't handle the isolation and the stress of this place."
"So I gather." Ivan began looking, studying the books and scrolls, labelled animal skulls, jars of chemicals connected by cobwebs, and jars of ether which suspended exotic creatures and organs.
Ivan was puzzled anyone could find this place unpleasant.
Yao gave a happy sound and plucked a box browned by dust off the shelf. Carrying it over to the table, he pushed aside several items with his arms and then set it down, waving Ivan over. He grabbed a cloth, as filthy as everything here, and began wiping off the dust to reveal gems on the exterior.
Ivan came over, curious.
"What is it?"
"Very important. Your success down here depends on this. It's a very old relic," Yao explained. "We call it a Box of Eyes."
(Note: Finally! Whew, this chapter was tough to write. I felt no inspiration. Updates should come faster now that we're almost to the super fun part — Alfred's grand arrival. He's going to come like a hurricane into Ivan's orderly and tightly-controlled existence.
What's a Overlord of Chaos like Alfred to do but upend everything?)
Note #2: For those of you a fan of "Break My Heart", my fem/US and UK story, the reason I have not updated it is because I'm still reeling from the total loss of all the files of it. Pages and pages were lost, even the backup failed. It's all gone. So I'm trying to remember the direction of the story and I've managed to rewrite some. I've been debating posting this there. This story isn't cancelled, it's just got gaps now. I'm afraid there will be some inconsistency since things I wrote in earlier chapters, I forgot why because my notes are gone.
Note #3:On the other hand, "Boys Over Toys" is going to get its next update in a week or two. I'm close to getting the next on out.